GENERAL LITERACY – VOICE

HOW TO CHANGE ACTIVE TO PASSIVE SENTENCE & VICE VERSA

©️SIR AB JANUARY 2024

FACILITATOR: SIR AB🎓

WhatsApp: 027 920 6931

Outline:

• Overview of Voice ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

• How to change sentences from active voice to passive voice ---------------- 3 - 19
• How to change sentences from passive voice to active voice --------------- 19 - 32

DISCLAIMER

This is not an official document from NTC or the office of GTLE but a document
compiled by Abraham Dogbey (SIR AB.) This document may exclude some of the
content for the GTLE. As a result of this, readers are advised to consult other relevant
materials if needed.

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 VOICE
Voice refers to the grammatical relationship between the subject of a sentence and the verb. It
tells us who or what is performing the action described by the verb.

There are two main types of voice:

1. Active voice: In an active voice sentence, the subject performs the action described by the
verb. The sentence structure follows the pattern "Subject + Verb + Object."

Example: The chef cooked a delicious meal. (The chef, the subject, performs the action
of cooking.)

2. Passive voice: In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action described by the
verb. The sentence structure is typically rearranged to "Object + Verb + Subject" (or some
variation, depending on the presence of an object). The auxiliary verb "be" is often used to
help form the passive voice.

Example: A delicious meal was cooked by the chef. (The delicious meal, the object, is
acted upon by the chef, the subject, who does the cooking.)

When a sentence is written in the active voice, the subject performs the action; in the passive
voice, the subject receives the action.
The element in a sentence that plays a very important role in passivation is the verb.

A verb may be transitive or intransitive.

A transitive verb is the type of verb that carries an object, while the intransitive verb does
not carry an object. A transitive verb may carry one or two objects.

1. She kicked the ball. (Transitive verb: the object is the ball)

2. He sneezed (Intransitive verb: no object)

Example of voice:

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Active: The candidates passed the exam.

Passive: The exam was passed by the candidates.

HOW TO CHANGE ACTIVE SENTENCES TO PASSIVE SENTENCES

In order to change an active sentence to a passive sentence, always identify the tense of the
main verb in the sentence.

In order words, anytime

you are to change active sentence to passive sentence:

• check the tense of the main verb first.

• check whether the object is singular or plural.

• subjective pronouns (I, she, he, we, they, etc) change to objective

pronouns (me, her, him, us, them, etc)

• You should check the tense since it determines which of the tense of the verb “to be”
(is/am, was/were) should be chosen. This means that if the sentence is in the present
tense, the verb “to be” that should be chosen is

either ‘is/am’ or ‘are’ depending on the singularity or plurality of the

object.
Example:

1. She loves him.

Now, how do we change the sentence to passive voice?

▫️move the object 'him' to the subject position. As you move the

object to the subject position, it changes from the objective

pronoun 'him' to subjective pronoun 'he'.

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▫️move the subject 'She' to the object position. As that is done, the subjective pronoun 'She'
changes to objective pronoun

her.

• Introduce the ‘to be’ (is) of the verb that agrees with "He" because that is now the
subject.
• Once the ‘be’ form of the verb is introduced, the main changes to the perfective form.
• Introduce the mandatory preposition ‘by’

By following the above steps, we shall have:

1. He is loved by her.

Examples:
2.

Active: They eat the food.

Passive: The food is eaten by them.

3.
Active: They ate the food.

Passive: The food was eaten by them.

4.

Active: They are eating the food.

Passive: The food is being eaten by them.

Quick Exercise.

Change from active to passive.

1. He killed the goat .

A. The goat is killed by him.

B. The goal was kill by him.

C. The goat is being killed by him.

D. The goat was killed by him.

2. She loves the guy.

A. The guy was loved by her.

B. The guy is loved by him.

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C. The guy was loved by him.

D. The guy is loved by her.

GENERAL LITERACY - VOICE _ JANUARY 2024 ©️SIR AB

Q.1.

Correct answer: D

Q.2.

Correct answer: D

Practical 1

Change to passive voice.

They drank water.

: 2 mins

Ans.

Passive: Water was drunk by them.

🛒 FIRST TYPE 🛍️

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

The rule is that if the object is singular, you must introduce a singular verb ‘to be’ form of the
verb (‘is, am’) plus the perfective form of the main verb in the sentence.

Structure: ‘is or am + perfective form of the verb.’

Perhaps, if the object is plural, you must introduce:

are + perfective form of the main verb.

Examples:

❖ Present tense (singular object)

They love him.

In changing the above sentence to passive sentence, this is what we should do.
'They’ (which is the subject) moves to the position of the object while ‘him’ (which is the
object) moves to the position of the subject.

As it moves to the subject position, the 'him' changes ‘He’.

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 ▪ Introduce the mandatory preposition ‘by’ before the object.
▪ Introduce the ‘to be’ form that agrees with ‘He’ which is your new subject.
▪ Change the main verb to its perfective form.

Always remember that it was the introduction of ‘to be’ verb that has changed the main to its
perfective form.

Therefore, the passive form of "They love him" becomes

"He is loved by them."

❖ Present tense (plural object)

Example:

Ama loves them.

•‘Ama’ (which is the subject) moves to the object position while ‘them’

(which is the object) moves to the subject position.

As it moves to the subject position, it (them) becomes ‘They’.

▪ Introduce the preposition ‘by’ before the object.

▪ Introduce the ‘to be’ form that agrees with ‘They’ which is your

new subject. That is 'are'

▪ Change the main verb to its perfective form (love - loved).

Note that it is the introduction of ‘to be’ verb that has changed the main verb to its perfective
form.

Therefore, the passive form of "Ama loves them" becomes:

"They are loved by Ama"

Practical 2

Change from active to passive.

1. The children eat the chocolate.

2. He eats them.

⏰: 3 mins✍🏽

Practice 2

Answers at a glance.
1. The children eat the chocolate.

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Passive: The chocolate is eaten by the children.

2. He eats them.

Passive: They are eaten by him.

🛒 SECOND TYPE 🛍️

SIMPLE PAST TENSE - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

The “to be” verbs are: "was /were," depending on the object.

Examples:

Simple past tense (singular object):

The man cooked rice.

‘The man’ (which is the subject) moves to the object position

while ‘rice’ (which is the object) moves to the subject position.

▫️Remember to introduce the preposition *‘by’* before the object.

▪ Introduce the ‘to be’ form that agrees with ‘water’ which is your new subject.

▪ Change the main verb to its perfective form.

▪ Borne in mind that it is the introduction of *‘to be’* verb that has changed the

main verb to its perfective form.

Therefore, the passive form of "The man cooked rice," becomes:

Rice was cooked by the man.

Simple past tense (plural object)

Example:
The mad man broke the glasses.

'The mad man’ (which is the subject) moves to the object position

while ‘the glasses’ (which is the object) moves to the subject position.
▪ Remember to introduce the mandatory preposition ‘by’ before the object.
▪ Introduce the ‘to be’ form that agrees with ‘The glasses’ which is the new subject.
▪ Change the main verb to its perfective form.

• Borne in mind that as it is the introduction of ‘to be’ verb that has changed the main verb to
its perfective form.

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(broke - were broken).

Therefore, the passive form of "The mad man broke the glasses" becomes:

"The glasses were broken by the mad man."

Practical 3

Change from active to passive.

1. The boy stole the pen.

2. The car nearly killed them.

: 3 mins

Practical 3.

Answers at a glance

1. The boy stole the pen.

Passive: The pen was stolen by the boy.

2. The car nearly killed them.

Passive: They were nearly killed by the car.

🛒 3⃣THIRD TYPE 🛍️

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

• To change present continuous to passive voice, introduce ‘is/am’ or ‘are’ plus ‘being’

• Borne in mind that the choice of this ‘verb to be’ depends on the object.

The introduction of the ‘verb to be’ changes the main verb to its perfective form’. Simply, if
the aspect is PRESENT CONTINUOUS, introduce the present tense form of the ‘to be verb’
(‘is/am’ or ‘are’) plus ‘being’ plus the perfective form of the main verb.

That's: am/is/are/ + being + perfective form of the main verb

Examples:
1.

Active: The candidates are learning Literacy.

Passive: Literacy is being learnt by the candidates.

2.
Active: Kofi is drawing a diagram.

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Passive: A diagram is being drawn by Kofi.

3.

Active: She is waiting for me.

Passive: I am being waited for by her.

Practical 4

Change to the passive form.

1. Ama is playing the game.

2. He is doing the work.

3. The girl is selling phones.

4. She is playing the drum beautifully.

5. I am typing the answers.

: 6 mins...

Practical 4

Answers at a glance

1. Ama is playing the game.

Passive: The game is being played by Ama.

2. He is doing the work.

Passive: The work is being done by him

3. The girl is selling phones.

Passive: Phones are being sold by the girl.

4. She is playing the drum beautifully.

Passive: The drum is being played beautifully by her

5. I am typing the answers.

Passive: The answers are being typed by me.

🛒FOURTH TYPE 🛍️

PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

• To change past continuous to passive voice, introduce ‘was/ or ‘were’ plus ‘being’

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 • Borne in mind that the choice of this ‘verb to be’ depends on the object.

The introduction of the ‘verb to be’ changes the main verb to its perfective form’. Simply, if
the aspect is PAST CONTINUOUS, introduce the past tense form of the ‘to be verb’ (‘was’
or ‘were’) plus ‘being’ plus the perfective form of the main verb. That's: was/were + being
+ perfective form of the main verb.

Examples:

1.

Active: The candidates were learning Literacy.

Passive: Literacy was being learnt by the candidates.

2.

Active: Kofi was drawing a diagram.

Passive: A diagram was being drawn by Kofi.

3.

Active: She was waiting for me.

Passive: I was being waited for by her.

Quick Exercise.

Choose the most appropriate answer.

1. She was singing the song.

A. The song was being sung by her.

B. The song was been sung by her.

C. The song were being sung by her.

Quick Exercise

Correct answer: A

🛒 FIFTH TYPE 🛍️

PRESENT PERFECT - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

The structure of the present perfect aspect is:

‘has been’ or ‘have been’ plus the perfective form of the main verb.
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Borne in mind that, when changing the present perfect to passive sentence, the verbs do not
change in form. The only change that occurs is the change in position of

the object and the subject.

HAS BEEN / HAVE BEEN + PERFECTIVE FORM OF THE MAIN VERB

Examples:

1.

Active: The candidates have learnt literacy.

Passive: Literacy has been learnt by the candidates.

2.

Active: We have killed the goat.

Passive: The goat has been killed by us.

3.

Active: Kofi has drawn a diagram.

Passive: A diagram has been drawn by Kofi.

Active: She has waited for me.

Passive: I have been waited for by her.

Practical 6

Change to passive form.

1. They have learnt the language.

2. Has he done the work?

Practical 6

Answers at a glance.

1. They have learnt the language.

Passive: The language has been learnt by them.

2. Has he done the work?

Passive: Has the work been done by him?

🛒 SIXTH TYPE 🛍️

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PAST PERFECT - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

The past perfect aspect is represented by

"had been" plus the perfective form of the main verb.

When the present perfect is changed to passive sentence, the verbs do not change in form.

The only change that occurs is the change in position of the object and the subject.

Structure:

Had been + Perfective form of the main verb.

Examples:
1.

Active: The candidates had learnt literacy.

Passive: Literacy had been learnt by the candidates.

2.

Active: We had killed the goat.

Passive: The goat had been killed by us.

3.

Active: Kofi had drawn a diagram.

Passive: A diagram had been drawn by Kofi.

4.

Active: She has waited for me.

Passive: I had been waited for by her.

Practical 7.

Change to passive voice.

1. He had won the match.

2. He had missed the last metro.

Practical 7.

Answers at a glance

1. He had won the match.

Passive: The match had been won by him.

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Or

Passive: The match had been won.

2. He had missed the last metro.

Passive: The last metro had been missed by him.

Or

Passive: The last metro had been missed.

🛒SEVENTH TYPE🛍️

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

The present perfect continuous aspect is represented by

‘Has been’ or ‘have been’ plus the perfective form of the main verb.

When we change the present perfect continuous to passive sentence, the

only element we will introduce is ‘being’.

The structure shall therefore be:

‘Has been’ or ‘have been’ + ‘being’ + the perfective form of the main verb.

Examples:

1.

Active: The candidates have been learning Literacy.

Passive: Literacy has been being learnt by the candidates.

2.

Active: We have been killing the goats.

Passive: The goats have been being killed by us.

3.

Active: Kofi has been drawing a diagram.

Passive: A diagram has been being drawn by Kofi.

4.

Active: She has been waiting for me.

Passive: I have been being waited for by her.

Practical 8
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Change to passive voice.

1. They have been singing the song.

2. AB has been learning the skills.

3. She has been dancing on the beat.

: 4 mins

Practical 8

Answers at a glance

1. They have been singing the song.

Passive: The song has been being sung by them.

2. AB has been learning the skills.

Passive: The skills have been being learnt by AB.

3. She has been dancing on the beat.

Passive: The beat has been being danced on by her.

🛒 EIGHTH TYPE🛍️

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

The past perfect continuous aspect is represented by

‘Had been’ plus the perfective form of the main verb.

When we change the past perfect continuous to passive sentence, the

only element we will introduce is ‘being’

The structure shall therefore be:

‘Had been + ‘being’ + the past participle form of the main verb.

Examples:

1.

Active: The candidates had been learning Literacy.

Passive: Literacy had been being learnt by the candidates.

2.
Active: We had been killing the goats.

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Passive: The goats had been being killed by us.

3.

Active: Kofi had been drawing a diagram.

Passive: A diagram had been being drawn by Kofi.

4.

Active: She had been waiting for me.

Passive: I had been being waited for by her.

Practical 9

Change to passive voice.

1. They had been singing the song.

2. AB had been learning the skills.

3. She had been dancing on the beat.

: 4 mins

Practical 9

Answers at a glance

1. They had been singing the song.

Passive: The song had been being sung by them.

2. AB had been learning the skills.

Passive: The skills had been being learnt by AB.

3. She had been dancing on the beat.

Passive: The beat had been being danced on by her.

🛒NINETH RULE🛍️

MODAL VERBS - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

when modal verbs (can, could, will, would, may, might, ought to, shall, etc) are used in
the active voice, follow the below pattern:

MODAL VERB + BE+ PERFECTIVE FORM OF THE VERB

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Examples:

1.

Active: They shall sell it.

Passive: It shall be sold by them.

2.

Active: He ought to take the medicine.

Passive: The medicine ought to be taken by him.

3.
Active voice: I may leave the room.

Passive: The room may be left by me.

4.

Active: He can do the work.

Passive: The work can be done by him.

5.

Active: The children could eat the chocolate.

Passive: The chocolate could be eaten by the children.

Practical 10

Change to passive voice.

1. They shall eat the chocolate.

2. The girl must sing the song.

3. They must learn hard for the examination.

Practical 10

Answers at a glance

1. They should eat the chocolate.

Passive: The chocolate should be eaten by them.

2. The girl must sing the song.

Passive: The song must be sung by the girl.

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3. They must study hard for the examination.

Passive: The examination must be studied hard.

Or

Passive: The examination must be studied hard for by the candidates.

🛒TENTH RULE🛍️

IMPERATIVES - ACTIVE TO PASSIVE.

• An imperative sentence is a type of sentence that gives a command, instruction, or

request.
• It is used to tell someone what to do or not to do. Imperative sentences are usually
written in the second person (you) and do not have explicit subjects.

Examples:

1. Open the window.

2. Don’t forget to take your umbrella.
3. Please pass the salt.

In order to change imperative sentences to passive sentences, let this be your guide:

Introduce ‘let’ + the object + appropriate form of the ‘to be’ verb + the perfective form of
the main verb.

Examples:

1.

Active: Pass the salt.

Passive: Let the salt be passed.

2.
Active: Open the window.

Passive: Let the window be opened

3.

Active: Do the work.

Passive: Let the work be done.

Practical 11.

Change to passive voice.

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1. Ring the bell.

2. Shut the door.

Practical 11.

Answers at a glance

1. Ring the bell.

Passive: Let the bell be rung.

2. Shut the door.

Passive: Let the door be shut.

GENERAL LITERACY - VOICE ©️ SIR AB, JANUARY 2024.

Take-Home Exercise 1

Change to passive form.

1. The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog.

2. She ought to study for the examination.

3. He had kissed Mary many times before that day.

4. Professor Dairy teaches at Harvard.

5. She had been chasing them.

6. Has he done the work?

7. They will have won the match.

8. He will repair the car.

9. Have they left the apartment?

10.

a). I have been eating pizza.

b). I had been learning English literature.

GENERAL LITERACY - VOICE ©️ SIR AB, JANUARY 2024

Take-Home Exercise 1.

ANSWERS AT A GLANCE

1. The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Passive: The lazy dog is jumped over by the quick fox.

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2. She ought to learn for the examination.

Passive: The examination out to be studied for by her.

3. He had kissed Mary many times before that day.

Passive: Mary had been kissed many times by him before that day.

OR

Passive: Before that day, Mary had been kissed many times.

4. Professor Dairy teaches at Harvard.

Passive: English is taught by Professor Dairy at Harvard.

I didn't provide the object, meaning you could choose the object of your choice since it's
implicit.

5. She had been chasing them.

Passive: They had been being chased by her.

6. Has he done the work?

Passive: Has the work been done by him?

7. They will have won the match.

Passive: The match will have been won by them.

8. He will repair the car.

Passive: The car will be repaired by him.

9. Have they left the apartment?

10.

a). I have been eating pizza.

Passive: Pizza has been being eaten by me.

b). I had been learning English literature.

Passive: English literature had been being learnt by me.

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 HOW TO CHANGE PASSIVE VOICE BACK TO ACTIVE VOICE.

🛒FIRST TYPE 🛍️

Any passive sentence that has ‘am/is/are + perfective verb’ structure, the sentence will be
changed to simple present tense.

The room is swept.

Since the subject is not stated, introduce the agent (subject) of your choice.

Let's choose "Amina."

The room is swept by Amina.

Move the agent introduced (Amina) to the subject position.

Consider the tense (or aspect of the sentence) under discussion, we realize that we have
‘is/am/are + perfective verb’ (that is ‘is + perfective verb) in our sentence.

Therefore, the tense is simple present tense.

In order to change ‘The room is swept by Amina’ to simple present tense, we shall cross out
‘is’, and change the perfective verb ‘swept’ to simple present tense (singular verb) to agree
with the agent introduced (Amina).

Therefore, the active form for "The room is swept by Amina" becomes *"Amina" sweeps
the room."

More examples:

1.

Passive: The chocolate is eaten by them.

Active: They eat the chocolate.

2.
Passive: The door is shut by the man.

Active: The man shuts the door.

3.

Passive: Kofi is loved by them.

Active: They love Kofi.

Practical 1

Change to active voice.

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1. The movement is liked.

2. The door is locked by the boy.

: 2 mins

Practical 1

Answer at a glance

1. The movement is liked.

Active: They like the movement.

Or

Active: He likes the movement.

2. The door is locked by the boy.

Active: The boy locks the door.

🛒 SECOND TYPE 🛍️

Any time a passive sentence has ‘was/were + perfective verb’ structure, the sentence must be
changed to simple past tense.

The room was swept.

Since the agent is not stated, you need to choose the agent (subject) of your choice. Let's
choose "Amina"

The room was swept by Amina.

This shall be: "Amina swept the room"

Another example:

Passive: The door was locked by the new secretary.

Active: The new secretary locked the door.

Practical 2

Change to active:

1. The examination was passed by the candidates.

2. The students were punished by the school prefect.

⏰: 2 mins ✍🏽

🚨Practical 2

Answers at a glance.
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1.

Passive: The examination was passed by the candidates.

Active: The candidates passed the examination.

2.

Passive: The students were punished by the school prefect.

Active: The school prefect punished the students.

🛒 THIRD TYPE 🛍️

Whenever a passive sentence has ‘is/am/are + being + perfective verb’ structure, the
sentence will be changed to present continuous form.

The room is being swept.

Introduce the subject of your choice.

Let's choose "Amina"

The room is being swept by Amina.

Therefore, the active form will be:

Amina is sweeping the room.

Practical 3

Change to active form.

1. The boys are being punished by the tutor.

2. The women are being sent.

3. Banku is being cooked by them.

: 3 mins

Practical 3

Answers at a glance

1. The boys are being punished by the tutor.

Active: The tutor is punishing the boys.

2. The women are being sent.

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Active: She is sending the women.

Or

Active: They are sending the women.

3. Banku is being cooked by them.

Active: They are cooking banku.

Quick Exercise

Change to active voice

The first paper was being written by the candidates before the chaos.
The candidates .......... the first paper before the chaos.
A. are writing

B. were writing

C. was being written

D. are being writing

Correct answer: B (were writing)

Correct Answers:

75. C. 76. B.

🛒 FOURTH TYPE 🛍️

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Whenever a passive sentence has _*‘was/were + being + perfective verb’*_ structure,

the sentence will be changed to past continuous form.

The girl was being monitored.

Here, we introduce the subject of our choice.

Let's choose "the boys"

The girl was being monitored by the boys.

Therefore, the active form shall be:

The boys were monitoring the girl.

Not

The boys are monitoring the girls. (The sentence is grammatical, but it can't be the
active form of the passive in question.)

Practical 4

Change to active form

1. A movie was being watched by the girl.

2. We were being chased by the men.

: 2 mins

Practical 4

Answers at a glance

1. A movie was being watched by the girl.

Active: The girl was watching a movie.

2. We were being chased by the men.

Active: The men were chasing us.

🛒 FIFTH TYPE 🛍️

Whenever a passive sentence has *‘has been/have been + perfective verb’* structure, the
sentence will be changed to present perfect form. Remove the *‘been’* when changing to
present perfect tense.
The girl has been monitored.

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Introduce the agent subject of your choice. Let's choose *"the boys"*

The girl has been monitored by the boys.

The active form is now:

The boys have monitored the girl.

Practical 5

Change to active

1.Banku has been eaten by me.

2. We have been punished by the tutor.

3. The chocolate has been eaten by them.

4. The papers have been written by the candidates.

: 4 mins

Practical 5

Answers at a glance

1.Banku has been eaten by me.

Active: I have eaten banku.

2. We have been punished by the tutor.

Active: The tutor has punished us.

3. The chocolate has been eaten by them.

Active: They have eaten the chocolate.

4. The papers have been written by the candidates.

Active: The candidates have written the papers.

🛒 SIXTH TYPE 🛍️

Whenever a passive sentence has ‘had been + perfective verb’ structure, the sentence will be
changed to past perfect form. Remove the ‘been’ when changed to past perfect tense.

The girl had been monitored.

Introduce the agent subject of your choice. Let's choose *"the boys"*

The girl had been monitored by the boys.

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The active form is now:

The boys had monitored the girl.

Example:

Passive: The doors had been opened by the lady.

Active: The lady had opened the doors.

Practical 6

Change to active voice.

1. The vehicle had been bought.

2. Her virginity had been broken.

3. The song had been sung beautifully by her.

: 4 mins

Practical 6

Answers at a glance

1. She had bought the vehicle.

2. I had broken her virginity.

3 She had sung the song beautifully.

GENERAL LITERACY - VOICE

PASSIVE TO ACTIVE, ©️SIR AB, JANUARY 2024.

Take Home Exercise 2

1. The cake has been eaten by the dog.

2. The letter is being written by Ama.

3. Her virginity has been broken.

4. The student has been punished.

5. The house was built by the construction company.

GENERAL LITERACY - VOICE

PASSIVE TO ACTIVE, ©️SIR AB, JANUARY 2024.

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 Take Home Exercise 2

1. The cake has been eaten by the dog.

2. The letter is being written by Ama.

3. Her virginity has been broken.

4. The student has been punished.

5. The house was built by the construction company

ANSWERS AT A GLANCE.
1.

Active: The dog has eaten the cake .

2.

Active: Ama is writing the letter .

3.

Active: Kwame has broken her virginity.

Or

Active: He has broken her virginity.

4.

Active: The tutor has punished the students.

5.

Active: The construction company built the house.

🛒 SEVENTH TYPE 🛍️

Whenever a passive sentence has ‘has been/have been + being + perfective verb’ structure,
the sentence will be changed to present perfect continuous form.

Remove the ‘being’ when changed to active, and its place is taken by ‘-ing’ of the main verb
in the sentence.

The bell has been being rung.

Introduce the agent of your choice. Let's choose "The boy."

• The bell has been being rung by the boy.

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The active form of the above passive shall be:

The boy has been ringing the bell.

Or

If we select a plural subject, the active form will be:

The boys have been ringing the bell.

Examples:

1.

Passive: The boys have been being punished by the teacher.

Active: The teacher has been punishing the boys.

2.

Passive: The letter has been being written by Kumah.

Active: Kumah has been writing the letter .

3.

Passive: Ama has been selling cloths in the market.

Active: Cloths have been being sold in the market by Ama.

Practice 7

Change to active form.

1. The song has been being sung by the ladies.

2. The police has been being murdered by the criminals.

: 3 mins

Practice 7

ANSWERS AT A GLANCE

1. The song has been being sung by the ladies.

Active: The ladies have been singing the song.

2. The police has been being murdered by the criminals.

Active: The criminals have been murdering the police.

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🛒 EIGHTH TYPE 🛍️

Whenever a passive sentence has ‘had been + being + perfective verb’ structure, the
sentence will be changed to past perfect continuous form.

Remove the ‘being’ when changed to active, and its place is taken by ‘-ing’ of the main verb
in the sentence.

The bell had been being rung.

Introduce the agent of your choice. Let's choose "The boy."

The bell had been being rung by the boy.

The active form of the above passive shall be:

The boy had been ringing the bell.

Or

If we select a plural subject - "The boys," the active form will still be:

The boys had been ringing the bell.

Examples:

1.

Passive: The boys had been being punished by the teacher.

Active: The teacher had been punishing the boys.

2.

Passive: The letter had been being written by Kumah.

Active: Kumah had been writing the letter .

3.
Passive: Ama had been selling cloths in the market.

Active: Cloths had been being sold in the market by Ama.

Practice 8

Change to active form.

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1. The song had been being sung by the ladies.

2. The police had been being murdered by the criminals.

: 3 mins

Practice 8.

ANSWERS AT A GLANCE.

1. The song had been being sung by the ladies.

Active: The ladies had been singing the song.

2. The police had been being murdered by the criminals.

Active: The criminals had been murdering the police.

🛒NINETH TYPE🛍️

Whenever a passive sentence has ‘modal verb + be + perfective verb’ structure, the sentence
will be changed to modal + perfective verb. Remove the *‘be’* when you changed to active.

Examples of modal verbs are can, could, will, would, may, might, ought to, shall, etc.

Examples:

1.

Passive: The work ought to be done by him.

Active: He ought to do the work.

2.

Passive: The package must be delivered by the man.

Active: The man must deliver the package.

3.

Passive: The car can be driven by anyone with a valid license.

Active: Anyone with a valid license can drive the car .

Practice 9.

Change to active
1. The concert should be attended by all music lovers.

2. The bill may be paid online or in person.

3. The house ought to be cleaned before the guests arrive.

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 : 3 mins

Practice 9

ANSWERS AT A GLANCE

1.

passive: The concert should be attended by all music lovers.

Active: All music lovers should attend the concert.

2.

Passive: The bill may be paid online or in person.

Active: You may pay the bill online or in person.

3.

Passive: The house ought to be cleaned before the guests arrive.

Active: Before the guests arrive, you ought to clean the house .

Or

Active: Before the guests arrive, Kofi ought to clean the house .

Or

Active: He ought to clean the house before the guests arrive.

🛒 TENTH TYPE 🛍️

To change imperative sentences to active sentences, follow these:

Introduce ‘let + the object + appropriate form of the ‘to be’ verb + the perfective form of
the main verb.
Examples:

1.

Passive: Let the task be finished.

Active: Finish the task.

2.

Passive: Let the car be driven.

Active: Drive the car .

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3.

Passive: Let the concert be attended.

Active: Attend the concert.

Passive: Let the bill be paid online or in person.

Active: Pay the bill online or in person.

4.

Passive: Let the house be cleaned before the guests arrive.

Active: Clean the house before the guests arrive.

Practical 10

Change to active voice.

1. Let the door be closed.

2. Let a noise not be made.

3. Let the children be helped.

: 3mins

Practical 10

Change to active voice.

1. Let the door be closed.

Active: Close the door.

2. Let a noise not be made.

Active: Don't make a noise.

3. Let the children be helped.

Active: Help the children.

THE END.

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